Page 4114 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Let us compare that to the policies that we have seen come from the Canberra Liberals. I have seen two arts policies come out of the Canberra Liberals of late. They want to either ban it or they want to censor it. Mr Hanson, as the leader of the Canberra Liberals, has said, and I quote from Hansard:
We are very consistent. Ban all public art.
So the Canberra Liberals’ view is very consistent. They have a view to ban all public art. As articulated by the leader of the Canberra Liberals: ban all public art. What a vision for our city that would be. I can only imagine how the Canberra Liberals would go about enforcing this. Would the statue of Robert Menzies have to be taken down? None of the Canberra Liberals could go to the unveiling of that statue of Robert Menzies. So it is a bit of a nonsense.
If the Canberra Liberals cannot ban public art then the next policy is to censor it. Under this policy the minister for arts would not take advice from local experts like Professor David Williams, Francis Owusu or Professor Jen Webb about what projects should receive funding. The minister would sit in his or her office with a texta and put lines through the applications, with no concern about artistic merit, just their censoring view.
It is quite clearly nonsense and it is quite clearly inconsistent for a group that want to ban all public art. Can I just remind Mr Smyth that when he was arts minister—I know it has been a long time since he sat on this side of the chamber—back in January 2001 when he was promoting the Multicultural Festival he said:
The statue of Ethos in City Square is the symbolic focal point of this year’s festival … ‘The Spirit of the City’. During the program launch proceedings, the statue will be “wrapped” and will remain that way until the festival opens … Her liberation will be a highlight of the festival’s dramatic opening pageant.
There we have it in February 2001—this is from someone who wants to ban public art—
Mr Smyth: No, I never said that.
MS BURCH: That is the position of your leader. That is the position of the Canberra Liberals, that they will ban all public art.
Members interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Stop the clock, please. Ms Burch, sit down. We are not having a conversation across the chamber. You had your chance to speak to your motion, Mr Smyth. Ms Burch is now speaking to the amendment. You will allow her to do that, please, in silence, and we will have no further interjection. Ms Burch, do not address Mr Smyth across the chamber. Thank you.
MS BURCH: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for your guidance. From a position of where the policy is to ban public art—and I refer to Mr Smyth’s comments
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video